Katie: Bride of Virginia (American Mail-Order Brides 10)

by Sylvia McDaniel

  She sighed. “In 1880, when I was ten, my family died in a yellow fever epidemic. Somehow I was spared. I was sent to live at the orphanage. The only people I have in the world are my two best friends Genny and Julia and now you,” she said with a smile brighter than the noonday sun.

  For some reason every time she smiled, his chest warmed and his groin tightened. He'd never had such a physical reaction to a woman before. And if she was as cheerful and warm as she appeared, he couldn't believe his good fortune, but what if it was all a big front? What if she were like Eloise?

  “I'm so sorry to hear you lost your loved ones. That's tough.”

  “I feel fortunate to be alive.”

  For a moment, he felt guilty about marrying her and expecting her to take care of his mother and his house. But then he realized, he'd probably helped her escape a really bad situation.

  Funny, he had intended to meet her at train with no intention of marrying her, but when she'd stepped onto the platform and turned her smiling face towards the sun, he'd been enamored of her beauty, her grace and that smile. It went clear to his toes and back.

  He'd kissed her politely on the lips at the wedding ceremony, but he couldn't wait to get her home, get his mother situated, and the two them could escape behind the door to their bedroom. He wondered if she was ready to become his wife in every sense of the word. And would she be a virgin?

  “Tell me about your vineyard. I've never known anyone who made wine before.”

  “Do you like wine?” he asked.

  She tilted her head in a way he already adored. “I don't know. The only wine I've had is church wine.”

  There was such an innocence about her that he hadn't been prepared for. Her clothes were clean and nice, but they were not the latest fashion. She just seemed to have a glow about her and a zest for life that Eloise had never shown. For a woman who life had not showered with advantage, she seemed unaware she was not rich. She seemed genuinely happy and grateful.

  “Well, tonight we'll open a bottle from the vineyard and you'll have your first sip of what I hope will someday make our vineyard well known,” he said, and also get them out of debt. If not, he could soon be searching for a new occupation and place to live. At least his new wife wasn't accustomed to riches, therefore, she wouldn't miss what they didn't have.

  She shivered and immediately he realized he hadn't put the blankets in the buggy before he left, since he'd planned on returning before the sun set.

  “Are you cold?” he asked, thinking he wouldn't mind if she sat closer to him. Katie was a delightful young woman and he felt so fortunate to marry her.

  Her green eyes gazed at him twinkling like a star in the night sky. “Actually, I'm very nervous about meeting your mother. It's been an exciting day.”

  Thinking that now was as good a time as any to scoot next to her, he moved until their hips were touching. “My mother can be challenging. She's ill and she has a tendency to take out her frustrations on those around her.”

  “Oh, I'm so sorry.”

  “Yes, for six months she's spent more and more time in her chair. I hate to see her health declining,” he said softly the sound of the horse trotting on the road crisp in the cold night air.

  His mother had never been gentle. She'd always been a woman with a sharp tongue who was quick to wield it.

  “Well, we'll just have to see if there is some way to cheer her up and get her moving again,” Katie said with determination.

  For a moment, he wanted to shield the young woman from the vitriol his mother could spew. He'd been a witness to it, since the day his father died and she'd dried up faster than a spring during a drought. “You don't understand. She's difficult.”

  Even in the darkness, he could see her turn and raise her brows at him. “You don't think I've handled difficult people before, working in a factory? Living in an orphanage? Working with the Sisters?”

  He chuckled. This woman seemed too good to be true. There must be something in her past, something that had kept another man from marrying her.

  “You're Catholic?”

  “Yes,” she said. “What religion are you?”

  He gave a short laugh. “Catholic.”

  “We share the same religion, that's wonderful. I can't wait to get involved in the church and meet your friends,” she said smiling at him. “I'm just so happy to be your wife.”

  He stared at her. Eloise had said those same words to him only a week before they were wed. She couldn't wait to be his wife and was so happy. And the wounds from that marriage had yet to heal. Would Katie hurt him the same way?

  Turning the buggy down the road to his home, he knew she was about to face the reality of his situation.

  #

  As they rode down the lane, Katie stared at the house. The grandeur of the old place filled her with awe. There was so much potential in the home and yet it needed loving care. A shutter hung haphazardly, the paint was peeling and there were no lights shining from the windows. In fact, it appeared dark.

  “This is it,” Daniel said as he pulled the buggy to a stop in front of the home. “The house needs some work.”

  “But it has great potential,” Katie said gazing at the two-story building. “I can't wait to see what it looks like inside.”

  Compared to the dingy apartment she'd lived in, this was a mansion. A place where she could make the house into a home, where someday her children would play.

  He chuckled. “You're going to be disappointed. That needs work as well. When I bought the place, no one had lived in the house for quite some time. I just haven't had the time or money to put into fixing the inside, yet.”

  She nodded. “Well, now you have a wife. I can take on some of those jobs.”

  And at this moment, she wanted to be the best possible partner for Daniel. She didn't want to ever do anything that would make him regret marrying her.

  Even in the darkness, she could see there was so much work that needed to be done around the house, but she had never been afraid of work and this was her home. This big, old house where she would birth her babies, and watch them grow until her time on this earth was done.

  A sense of purpose and belonging overcame her and she couldn't wait to get inside. She couldn't wait to start on creating her family.

  Daniel jumped down from the buggy and then turned back to help Katie alight.

  “Why is the house dark?”

  “I don't know. I guess mother didn't light the lamps.”

  Taking her by the hand, they walked to the entrance and he opened the door. He started inside and she pulled him back. He glanced at her. “What?”

  She sneaked a curious look in and then gazed at her new husband. “It's good luck to carry your bride across the threshold.”

  All she could think about was how it would feel to be in his arms, so close, body against body.

  She held up her hands. Shaking his head, he reached down and scooped her up cradling her against him. The feel of his arms beneath her buttocks and being so close to him had her breath catching in her throat.

  “Oh my.”

  Her heart was racing like a runaway steam engine and warmth was filling every nook and cranny in her body. Tonight was her wedding night and she thought her lungs were going to stop breathing.

  Licking her lips, she gazed up at her husband and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Welcome home,” he said, staring down at her as he carried her across the threshold into the house.

  Being in his arms felt heavenly and she was suddenly looking forward to tonight.

  “Daniel,” a woman screamed. “Is that you, Daniel? Get in here.”

  The sound of the woman's crass voice screeching had her stomach tensing. Was that his mother?

  His face tightened and he dropped his arm and let her slide down the front of him. She felt his body tense and knew that must be his mother. “Coming, Mother.”

  Taking her by the hand, he glanced at her, his eyes sympathetic as he led
her to the back of the house. As they walked into a bedroom large enough to have a sitting area, Katie got her first look at his mother sitting in a wooden wheelchair, staring out the darkened window with no gas lamp burning in the room.

  The gray haired elderly woman didn't look frail, but almost maniacal with her face tightly drawn. Now Katie could see why he was warning her. The woman would be daunting to help.

  “Where have you been. I've been waiting for you all afternoon. I've been worried sick,” the gray-haired dried-up woman demanded. “The ser--”

  Katie felt her stomach tighten at the demanding way the woman was talking to her husband. He walked around her chair and lit the gas lamp.

  Suddenly she saw Katie, her eyes narrowed and she glared at the girl. “Who is this?”

  “Mother, I'd like for you to meet my wife, Katie Maverick O'Malley. Katie, my mother Betty O'Malley.”

  The old woman's mouth dropped open. “Married. Who is she? And where did she come from?”

  Swallowing the fear that threatened to consume her, Katie stepped up and tried to shake the old lady's hand, but she wrenched it away. She could see why her husband had tried to warn her. This would be challenging. “I'm from Lawrence, Massachusetts.”

  Gasping she stared. “You married this girl. How did you meet her? You have terrible taste in women. Why didn't you introduce us before you were married? Are you expecting, girl?”

  “Oh,” Katie couldn't help the exclamation that flew from her opened mouth. How could she even think she was pregnant. They'd just married.

  “Mother!” Daniel cried.

  “I'm a mail-order bride,” Katie said quietly. “I answered your son's ad in the Grooms' Gazette.”

  The woman took a deep breath and clutched her chest. “Oh...oh, my medicine, my medicine,” she gasped. “The scandal. You're bringing more scandal on us. What were you thinking?”

  Daniel grabbed a bottle and a spoon near his mother and poured her dose of the tonic.

  “I'm not expecting,” Katie said, stunned at her reaction.

  Why did his mother think this was scandalous? What had they done that was so wrong? They were married. She'd insisted before she would even come to his house.

  All her life she'd fought poverty, doing everything right and yet because she worked in the factory, men thought she was easy and now her husband's mother thought she was a loose woman.

  Placing her hands on her hips, she stared at the gray-haired lady whose heart obviously no longer knew love. “Your son, wanted a bride, and I choose him and he accepted me. I truly hope we can become friends. He specifically asked for help with his mother in his ad and I want to help you however I can. I know this is a shock, but I'm now your daughter and you're my mother.”

  “Ah,” the older woman cried and reached out to Daniel. She made gasping noises and flicked her hands like she wanted Katie to leave.

  Daniel turned and frowned. “Maybe you should wait for me in the other room.”

  The excitement and the joy of meeting his mother seemed to drain from her. “I'll light the lamps,” she said walking out of the bedroom.

  What had she gotten herself into? He'd been right to caution her about his mother, even now she could hear the older woman ranting at Daniel through the bedroom door. The woman was a tyrant, but Katie had faced tough obstacles before.

  Everyone, well almost everyone, she eventually won over with kindness. And if anyone needed a gentle touch and a nice word, it was this woman. Her work was certainly cut out for her, but she could do this.

  #

  Katie walked into the main room and fumbled around until she found a lamp. Quickly she turned it on and a warm glow filled the room. When they arrived, she hadn't been able to see much of the room in the darkness, but it was filled with worn furniture and old rugs that needed cleaning.

  The house had a great structure, but needed a woman's touch to make it into a home. She dreamed of this. In fact, she couldn't wait to get started.

  Strolling through the house, she lit lamps until the house was filled with light. The kitchen was in much the same disarray. It needed a thorough cleaning. Warmth filled her and she even felt excited about turning this house into a home.

  Daniel hurried out of his mother's bedroom and came toward her. “I'm sorry. But you see why I said it could be a challenge.”

  She reached out and touched his arm. “It's okay. I understand. I've faced tougher battles.”

  Adjusting to life in the orphanage taught her how to adapt and change. But through it all, her mother's voice was with her, reminding her to smile. She knew she would have to become accustomed to her husband's way of life, but she would not lose her values or her sense of humor.

  “I see you lit the lamps.”

  “Yes, the house is beautiful.”

  He glanced at her like she was crazy and she realized he had no idea what and where she had lived before. Working in the factory she'd made barely enough to survive.

  “I'm glad you like it.”

  “The layout of the house was well thought out.”

  Nodding, he took her by the hand and together they walked into the kitchen. “I need a glass of wine.”

  When he opened a door, she saw there was a staircase. She followed him into a cold basement. Racks with barrels of what she assumed was wine lined the walls. There were shelves of labeled glass bottles. Daniel choose one and turned to her.

  “The barrels are this year's crop of grapes. Soon I'll be doing a second racking on the wine. After one more racking, the wine will be ready for bottling and corking.”

  She didn't understand what he was saying, but soon, very soon she would know more about how to grow and harvest grapes. This was a new adventure.

  “I would love for you to show me the vineyards and explain to me how it works.”

  “One day we'll spend time in the vineyard so you can see,” he said seeming closed off once again. Taking her by the hand, he led her up the stairs.

  “Is that carpetbag all you brought with you?”

  She laughed. What did the man think, she had a trunk full of clothes? A factory worker didn't make enough for fancy dresses. Most of her clothes she'd purchased at a secondhand shop. Her blue silk chiffon, she'd made herself, but even that could be expensive with the cost of fabric.

  “A girl like me doesn't have much,” she said, not for sympathy but so he would realize she had very little. She didn't need much. And gazing around the house, she had more than she ever dreamed was possible.

  “Tomorrow, we'll make space for you in the armoire,” he said as he dropped her hand, picked up a bottle opener and two wine glasses. “Let's sit in the parlor.”

  Following him into the room, she noticed the broadness of his back. He'd worn a dark jacket with a white cottonshirt into town. The color of the jacket brought out the darkness of his hair, which shone in the gas lamplight.

  Her husband was more than she'd dreamed of and suddenly she wondered why he'd never married. Soon she would ask him, but not tonight.

  While the girls in the orphanage had talked about what to expect on your wedding night, she'd never known what was real and what was fabricated. Sure she'd experienced men trying to have their way with her, on more than one occasion, but she never had a man court her.

  And now she was a married woman, about to experience lying with a man for the first time with no prior knowledge of what really happened between a man and a woman.

  All she hoped was that she would please her husband. But she didn't know what to expect.

  He pointed to the lumpy sofa and she took a seat, her heart beating rapidly. He pried the cork out of the bottle, poured the dark liquid into the glasses and handed one to her, then picked up the other. She'd never seen such fancy drinking glasses and for a moment she stared in awe at the beauty of the glassware.

  “To our life together,” he said and raised his glass. She lifted hers and he clinked the edge. She'd heard of people toasting, but never participated and she coul
dn't contain the smile his words filled her with.

  She took a sip and thought she was going to spit the horrid liquid out. If this was how wine tasted, why were people so enamored of the drink. Quickly she swallowed and tried to school her features to hide her feelings, but it was too late.

  He grinned at her. “I see I don't have to worry about you drinking up all the profits.”

  “What?” she said confused. “It has an unusual taste.”

  He laughed. “You'll soon grow to enjoy the flavors. I'll teach you.”

  “I don't like the taste of coffee either,” she said taking another sip. This time the wine warmed her pallet all the way down, spreading heat through her, leaving a luxurious feeling behind. “Oh.”

  “What's wrong?”

  “I feel kind of warm “ she said gazing at Daniel. If they had children, she hoped they'd have his beautiful sapphire eyes. “Maybe it was the combination of Frank’s champagne and now the wine.”

  “I think one glass tonight will be quite enough,” he said taking the glass from her, his gaze staring at her, making her heart pound like she'd been running down the street.

  She was married. Her knees started knocking.

  Placing the beautiful crystal on a nearby table, he pulled her against him and his lips covered hers, gently at first and then more pressing. She'd been kissed before, but nothing like her husband was doing. No man had ever ran his tongue over her mouth, sending tingles all over, then slipped in between her lips.

  At the convent, they'd taught that girls were to be obedient to their husbands, but the nuns never warned about how it would feel when a man consumed her mouth into his. And then his hand touched her breasts and she pulled back and stared at him, her heart beating rapidly.

  “I know we're married,” she said breathing heavily, “but I have to tell you, I've never done this before. The nuns only told us we were to submit to our husbands.”

  Daniel reached out and traced his fingers along her jaw and then rose from the sofa. “Come to bed, Mrs. O'Malley, I think it's time you found out what it's all about.”

  Katie swallowed, looked at her husband and then took his outstretched hand.